ove to make himself
heard above the uproar.

"It is unfair," he said earnestly, when quiet had been partially
restored, "of Sir Arthur to credit me with what I am aware is far more
than my just due. Truthfully, it should be said that no one of us
surpassed his fellows in displaying the qualities Sir Arthur has just
enumerated. Such an experience is enough for a lifetime, but if I am
ever again called upon to face such perils as we encountered while under
Africa, may God grant that I have for comrades such true-hearted, loyal
friends as these."

Carrington, Forbes, and Canaris each spoke briefly in turn; and Bildad,
under the undue excitement of some wine he had managed to secure,
attempted to perform a Galla war-dance on the table, and was promptly
relegated to the guard-house to sober up.

At midnight a steamer left Zaila for Aden with the glad news, and
twenty-four hours later the streets of London were blocked with crowds
of people reading the amazing telegram that the newspapers had posted on
their bulletin boards.

Colonel Conyers Gordon, of course, was not governor of Zaila at all, and
though it must have been a sore disappointment to the brave old soldier,
he readily and gladly installed Sir Arthur in the residency and assumed
his former command of the troops.

Sir Arthur, however, had very different views. "Do you mean to say,
Gordon," he demanded, "that the government actually gave me up for lost,
and had no intention of sending an expedition after me at all?"

Colonel Gordon hesitatingly admitted that such was the case.

"Then," cried Sir Arthur, "I wash my hands of such a government. I will
go home to England, and may the infernal Arabs hang, draw, and quarter
me if I ever set foot on African soil again."

"I trust, Sir Arthur," argued Colonel Gordon, "you will not act hastily
in this matter. You will admit that the government was somewhat
justified in believing your case a hopeless one. The fate of you and
your brave companions was thought by everybody to have been nothing
short of death. I am sure, had the authorities had the slightest idea
that you were living, an expedition would have been sent out. No stone
would have been left unturned to rescue you."

"Well," said Sir Arthur, somewhat mollified, "I cannot deny that things
pointed to our demise. We expected to see you again as little as you
expected to see us, probably."

"I am glad," said Colonel Gordon, "that you have decided to take a mor